This Friday marks a special milestone for the Universe as we know it, as March 22nd will be William Shatner's 82nd birthday.

Best known as Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk, The Shat has since worked his way into the very fiber of our pop culture and continues to be an active contributor to Earthlings via TV, film, numerous autobiographies, and  -- of course -- the Internet. If you've been following his Twitter feed, then you've certainly seen this gem of a bucket list, posted today:

If anyone is going to punch a shark, it's going to be The Shat!

In honor of the great man's birthday, The Vortex Room in San Francisco is hosting a special William Shatner Birthday Tribute Night full of Shatner rarities, burlesque dancers, and a special screening of  1958's Screeming Mimi, a strip-tease murder mystery with Anita Ekberg and Gypsy Rose Lee, in 16mm projection! The burlesque talent for the evening will be provided by Szandora LaVey, Laika Fox, The Indra, Mistress Pon-Farr, and your Mistress of Ceremonies, Odessa Lil. Find out more and RSVP on the Facebook HERE!

Amoeba Music’s Home Grown Independent Artist Program supports the indie spirit and the local music community by spotlighting the music of unsigned artists.

The San Francisco, Berkeley, and Hollywood store locations each pick their own favorites based on this criteria:

-- Home Grown artists must be unsigned

-- Home Grown artists must have a self-released project available

-- Home Grown artists must be totally amazing

Amoeba San Francisco is proud to announce their latest Home Grown artist, Eitch (pronounced "H")! She has formed a sound that is both vocally driven and atmospheric (floating somewhere between alternative, electronic, and pop), which she playfully describes as: “Altronipop.” 

You can get her debut album Everything, Nothing right here on Amoeba.com. It's a collection of work she began writing and recording in 2006. Unpredictable and full of wonder, these songs reveal the scope of her imagination.

Nominate your favorite, unsigned, local band here!

The sixth annual Switchboard Music Festival brings its eclectic blend of performers and music to San Francisco’s Brava Theater on March 24th from 2-10pm. It's going to be a non-stop, eight-hour musical spectacle presenting composers and musicians who push the boundaries of their respective genres—be it rock, jazz, classical, hip-hop, world, or something less defined. It is a showcase for innovative local music that easily traverses disparate genres—a physical analog for a borderless, digital world. This year’s festival features groups both established and new, from the Bay Area and beyond.

The 2013 Festival features the piano duo ZOFO, whose most recent album, Mind Meld, was nominated for two 2013 Grammy awards; Subharmonic, led by Jazz Mafia’s Adam Theis; Ava Mendoza’s UNNATURAL WAYS; accordionist Rob Reich (of Tin Hat) and his quintet; and clarinetist Michael Lowenstern. The all-day festival will also feature performances by Addleds, Areon Flutes, Billygoat, Build, FutureCities, Ignition Duo, Oakland Active Orchestra, and bass clarinet duo Sqwonk. 

CIIS Public Programs & Performances and Amoeba Music present Karsh Kale featuring sarod master Alam Khan in Classical Science Fiction: An Intimate Sonic Exploration of the Future Sounds of Indian Classical Music on March 21st at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

Classical Science Fiction, brainchild of producer and multi-instrumentalist Karsh Kale, breaks down the traditional constructs of Indian classical music, while maintaining that music's emphasis on rhythm, scale, and improvisation.

This is not just an exercise in blending various musical traditions. "The effective fusion of styles and repertoire," according to Karsh, "is not dependent on the musical concepts or genres used, but rather the musicians assembled." In this case, Karsh has put together an all-star ensemble of musicians, rooted in their traditional styles, and yet all have created new paths in music. Indian classical, electronica, blues, jazz, rock, and ghazal come together in a seamless blend.

Karsh would be the first to admit that the fusion of Indian classical and other musical traditions is not new. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Remember Shakti, and Tabla Beat Science (of which Karsh is a founding member) have all incorporated Indian classical with genres such as jazz, Western classical, and to lesser extent, electronic music. With Classical Science Fiction, Kale and his collaborators push these boundaries even farther, blending the new Western idioms of 21st century America.

Catch Ceremony on February 27th at The Rickshaw Stop.

The Noise Pop Music Festival is the country’s leading indie music, arts, and film festival. Now in its 21st year, the San Francisco festival features performances by Toro y Moi, Amon Tobin, !!!, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Rogue Wave, Ceremony, and so many more!

In addition, the festival boasts a film series that explores the intersection of music and art; Pop-n-Shop, a local designer fair; Culture Club, an interactive workshop exploring DIY culture; Art Gallery Shows; and Happy Hours!

Check out the full schedule of events HERE!